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August 28, 2012

LG Goes Prime Time With Optimus G Announcement

by editor

Peter Suciu for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online

South Korean handset maker LG´s new Optimus G handset is ready for prime time. After being leaked last month the handset has made its official debut this week. It will arrive in South Korea in September on all three major cellular operators and will roll out globally in the months to follow.

The first stop will likely be an October or November launch on Japan´s NTT Docomo network. But from there the handset, which features Qualcomm´s 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 processor will be ready to fly around the globe. And if the hype is to be believed this could be one game changer of a handset.

The Optimus G will feature 4G LTE connectivity and the new integrated in-cell touch technology, which will reportedly also be available on the upcoming iPhone 5. At the present time these are the only handsets that have even been rumored to have this new technology — and it with this announcement of the Optimus G this is the first actual announcement of in-cell´s role in a new handset.

Beyond that the LG Optimus G will host some serious hardware within the handset, including the aforementioned processor and 2GB of RAM. This handset also promises to be quite sleek and with a whole lot of screen, as this device features True HD (1,280 x 768 pixel resolution) IPS+ LCD, a display that LG reportedly claims can bring the display to the edge of the 3mm bezel. The display reportedly has been optimized to allow for better visibility outdoors as well.

The upcoming smartphone further offers the promise of twin 13megapixel cameras — one on the front and one on the back. While this was long rumored, the new announcement from LG makes it official. This will be welcome news to anyone who looks to snap a few photos with their mobile phone — and with 13megapixels it will surpass most point-and-shoot cameras today — and offers the ability for video chat. Of course the carriers with tiered data plans will appreciate anything that eats up data.

The tasty looking camera will run the equally tasty sounding Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), which is only a slight surprise given the announcement of the upcoming Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). It will be available in Japan with a candy red or black shell — but no word on what other international markets might see in terms of colors, but from the publicity photos the red makes for one hot looking device.

The handset should feature excellent run time as it features a 2,100 mAh battery to bring the power, and the entire package is just 8.45mm thin. It will also reportedly include a type of waterproofing for the Japanese market, and while this doesn´t mean that the Optimus G is a rugged phone, it is nice to know that it could handle a walk in the rain.

Other Japanese-specific features include infrared data transfer, osaifu-keitai mobile wallet and even mobile television services. It is unlikely those will see inclusion in the Western release, but these are features that truly show the potential of this next generation handset.